hiller



(No Model.)

L. 0. HILLER. CHEESE 0R ORANGE HOLDER.

PatentedYJ'une' 19,1894.

WITNESSES zw, x

lNVENTOFj KM 44 #26 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS C. HILLER, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MERIDEN SILVER PLATE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE CHEESE OR ORANGE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent I\To. 521,613, dated June 19, 1894. A

Application filed March 1,1894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS C. HILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and use-- ful Improvements in Cheese or Orange Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention has for its object to provide a highly ornamental as well as useful article of table furniture-one size of which shall be especially adapted to hold Edam and pineapple cheeses, a'smaller size being provided which shall be especially adapted to hold oranges, it being contemplated that an orange with the upper portion, one half more or less, removed shall be placed in the holder and eaten with an ordinary orange spoon, the construction of the article being the same for both purposes with the exception that for cheese holdersI ordinarily provide four spring arms and for oranges but two.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel cheese or orange holder of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings is a specification, numbers being used'to designate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line a; x in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a view of the spring arms and threaded shank detached; Fig. 4 a plan view of a form especially adapted for use as an orange holder, two spring arms being provided, and Fig. 5 is a section corresponding with Fig. 2 illustrating a form in which the holder is self acting, a strong spring being provided the action of which is to raise the bowl and by so doing to throw the spring arms to the retaining posirod 4: extends.

Serial No. 503,569. (No model.)

with a flange 6 which incloses the top of the base.

7 is a nut rigidly fixed in the base which is engaged by a threaded shank 8 to which the spring arms 9 are attached. Either two, four or any convenient number of spring arms may be used. They may either be blanked out in a single piece or in separate pieces as preferred. The outer or retaining ends 'of the spring arms are preferably provided with prongs 10 which engage the shell of a cheese or the rind of an orange to hold it in place. The threaded shank is provided with a groove 11 which receives rib 4 in opening 3 the shank passing freely through said opening and the rib engaging the groove. It will of course be apparent that rib and groove may be transposed if preferred.

12 is a stop screw which engages the lower end of the threaded shank and is provided with a head 13 of greater diameter than the shank which is adapted to engage nut 7 to limit the upward movement of the shank and spring arms. Upon the inner side of the bowl near the top is a shoulder 14 which is engaged by the backs of the arms as clearly shown in the drawings.

The operation will be clearly understood from Fig. 2. As rotation of the bowl must carry the threaded shank and spring arms with it, owing to the engagement of the rib and groove, it follows that when the bowl is rotated the threaded shank will either move upward or downward in the nut, the effect of which will be to permit the spring arms to move outward as shown in full lines in Fig. 2,

when the shank is raised and to draw the upper ends of the spring arms carrying the prongs inward through the engagement of the backs of said arms with shoulder 14 when the shank is moved downward.

To place a cheese or orange in position the operator rotates the bowl, in the present instance toward the right, to raise the threaded shank and allow the spring arms to move outward. Having placed the cheese or orange in position the operator rotates the bowl in the opposite direction, in the present instance toward the left, carrying of course the threaded shank and spring arms with it, the action of which is to move the threaded shank downward and through the engagement of the backs of the spring arms with shoulder 14 to move the upper ends of the. spring arms inward and force the prongs into the cheese or orange which it is desired to hold.

No locking device is required as the parts will stay in any position in which they are placed.

It will be understood that the bowl, threaded shank and spring arms at all times rotate together so that there is no wear of the spring arms upon the inner side of the bowl except at just the portions of the shoulder which are constantly engaged by the spring arms.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 5 the shank, which in this form I designate as 8, is rigidly fixed in the base. Flange 6 upon the under side of the bowl is made longer and passes within a flange 15 on the base. Within these flanges which telescope is a strong spring 16 the action of which is to constantly force the bowl upward and therefore to force the upper ends of the spring arms and the prongs into the cheese or orange that may be held thereby.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A cheese holder consisting of a bowl,

having 011 its inner side a shoulder, spring arms which bear against said shoulder, a shank by which the spring arms are carried, a base by which the parts are supported and suitable means for raising and lowering the shank whereby the spring arms are moved in or out throughengagementwith the shoulder. 3 5 2. A cheese or orange holder consisting of a bowl, having on its inner side a shoulder and at its bottom an opening with an inwardly extending rib, spring arms which bear against the shoulder and are carried by a threaded 4o shank having a groove which is engaged by said rib, and a suitable base having a nut which is engaged by the threaded shank so that when the bowl is rotated the shank and threaded arms will be raised or lowered through the engagement ofthe shank with the nut, and the upper ends of the spring arms will be moved in or out through engagement with the shoulder.

In testimony whereof I afrix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS O. HILLER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE A. FAY, J. S. HALL. 

